Jharkhand CM announces Rs. 2250-crore scheme for 22 Lakh Farmers

Chief Minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das on 21st December announced a Rs. 2250-crore scheme to help around 22.76 lakh farmers in the state double their income by 2022.

For this, the state government will provide Rs. 5,000/acre to the medium as well as marginal farmers in Jharkhand from the next financial year.

Das said Rs. 2,250 crore will be spent under the new Mukhya Mantri Krishi Yojana, which will begin from the 2019-20 financial year. He said, " farmers who have less than 1 acre of land will also get Rs. 5000 and the upper limit is 5 acres," adding that the receivers will be given the amount through cheque or direct benefit transfer.

The new scheme intends to help farmers obtain seeds, fertilisers and other requirements for cultivation purposes without depending on anyone, the Minister said, adding that farmers can avail the money according to their choice of crop each year from the next fiscal.

Das further said Jharkhand government was already spending Rs. 66 crore / annum for around 14 lakh farmers under the Fasal Bima Yojana, besides offering farm loans at 0% interest. He said "PM Narendra Modi has set a target to double farmers’ income by 2022. And keeping this target in mind, the state government is also taking steps to assist the farmers in achieving that goal".

The Minister added that agriculture has the potential to generate jobs and hence the state government is arranging markets for the farm produce.